Hours after emotional reflection on failure, Paula Badosa makes shock withdrawal from US Open 2025
Paula Badosa, the world No. 12 and former No. 2, announced her withdrawal from the 2025 US Open on August 8, 2025, just hours after posting an emotional reflection on failure via Instagram, a move that stunned the tennis community. The decision, driven by a persistent back injury, ends her participation in both singles and mixed doubles, where she was set to partner Jack Draper, per Sportskeeda and Express.co.uk. Badosa’s Instagram post, shared early that day, detailed her struggles: “I wasn’t built by easy days. I was shaped by the moments that broke me… Failure taught me what success never could. It humbled me,” hinting at the personal and physical toll leading to her withdrawal, per profootballnetwork.com.
Badosa’s back injury, a stress fracture first sustained in 2023, has plagued her 2025 season. Despite a remarkable comeback—winning the Mubadala Citi DC Open, reaching the US Open quarterfinals, and achieving an Australian Open semifinal in 2025—her injury resurfaced during the clay season, forcing withdrawals from Madrid and Rome, per tennis-infinity.com. Her last match, a first-round Wimbledon loss to Katie Boulter (6-4, 6-3) on June 30, 2025, exacerbated the issue, leading to her absence from the North American hard-court swing, including Washington, Montreal, and Cincinnati, per womenstennisblog.com. In her withdrawal statement, Badosa expressed heartbreak: “It is with a heavy heart that I am announcing my withdrawal from this year’s US Open… This decision was incredibly difficult,” emphasizing her connection to New York’s fans and her 2024 quarterfinal memories, per ESPN.
The withdrawal impacts her ranking, with 720 points from last year’s quarterfinals set to drop, potentially pushing her out of the top 20, per tennis-infinity.com. It also disrupts her mixed doubles pairing with Draper, who now faces a £740,000 prize money setback, as the event offers significant rewards, per Express.co.uk. Jil Teichmann replaces Badosa in the singles draw, with Alizé Cornet as the next alternate, per firstpost.com. Badosa’s focus now shifts to recovery for the Asian swing, with fans on X, like @TheTennisLetter, expressing sympathy: “Incredibly sad to see this. Hoping to see her back healthy & happy soon”. Her emotional reflection and subsequent withdrawal underscore the resilience and challenges of her ongoing battle with injury.
